Tolliegagging

It was time to go, to have shoes on and coat zipped and seat belts strapped, headed to the last Sporties for Shorties session of the season.  But Tollie wanted to write a thank you note to Miss Ginger, to tell her he liked all the things he learned from her, and that hockey sticking was his favorite.  He wanted to stamp black spiders on white paper and he wanted the words to say "Love, Tollie."

I want good manners to be like breathing for the boys, to come naturally.  And I'm not going to argue with a kid who wants to write a thank you note.
But the fact that it would make us late for class did cross my mind.

Patience is a trait that teaching may have planted in me.  Celia’s arrival helped it grow, and the boys have certainly fertilized it Mansanto-style.  But it still doesn’t always bloom when I need it most.

I am trying to be better at letting things take a long time with him.  He is efficient in his own ways. He takes life slow, and takes fast offense to my rushing.  I am trying to add more take your times and we’re not in a hurrys to my lexicon, for my own benefit as much as for his.